This invention relates to an optical connector inspection apparatus for use in inspecting, in a process of assembly of an optical connector designed to hold and fix an optical fiber in a correct posture, a held posture of the optical fiber in the optical connector, i.e. whether or not the optical connector holds the optical fiber in the correct posture.
A technique relating to this type of optical connector inspection apparatus is disclosed in, for example, JP-B-3778090 (Patent Document 1). An optical connector inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 inspects the eccentricity of a plurality of optical fiber holes formed in an optical connector to hold optical fibers therein. In the optical connector, a pair of guide holes are formed in parallel to an extending direction of the optical fiber holes. This optical connector inspection apparatus inspects the eccentricity of the optical fiber holes with respect to the optical connector by holding the optical connector, irradiating inspection light, emitted from a light source disposed rearward of the optical connector, to a rear end of the optical connector, and then performing image processing of transmitted light beams coming from a front end of the optical connector through the guide holes and the optical fiber holes.
The optical connector inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus not intended to inspect the held posture of the optical fibers in the optical connector but intended to inspect the eccentricity of the optical fiber holes before holding the optical fibers and thus is used to carry out the inspection before the optical fibers are attached to the optical connector. Therefore, if an attempt is made to carry out the inspection in a state where the optical fibers are attached to the optical connector, the inspection light emitted from the light source disposed rearward of the optical connector is shielded by the optical fibers. Taking this into account, in order to prevent the inspection light from being shielded by the optical fibers, a technique is considered that performs the inspection while maintaining a state where the optical fibers are forcibly put out of the proceeding path of the inspection light. However, such a technique requires quite complicated operations.
Further, in the optical connector inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the inspection light is irradiated to the rear end of the optical connector held by the apparatus, the light source is disposed rearward of the optical connector. Therefore, this optical connector inspection apparatus as a whole, including the light source, is very large in size.